The Meaning of Christmas

One thing I hate: stores during the Holiday season.  I finished my Christmas shopping before Thanksgiving (thankfully), but still have every day things to get.  It is impossible!  There's even a traffic jam into the parking lot.  Then finding a space is another adventure.  Maneuvering through the crowds, trying to find items that have been picked clean, and even trying to find a store associate to assist you become things of fancy.  Today I walked into to Walmart (after waiting for ten minutes just to park) for a bath mat for my baby's tub (she just out grew the insert and the tub is too slippery for her little butt).  It took me 20 minutes!  That mission should only have take 5.  I'm not one for crowds or public places anyway, so you can imagine the good mood it put me in.  Oh, the next fun game was trying to get OUT of the parking lot.  That took even longer than getting in.  What saddens me the most about all of this is the pure commercialism of the Season.  I loved getting presents for Christmas.  I had great Christmases as a kid.  I really did.  But at the end of the day, it was just more junk to get bored with after a few weeks and forget about.  The best part of Christmas, in my opinion is giving, not receiving.  I like to make others happy.  I like to help those who cannot help themselves.  Christmas is really about remembering and honoring our Savior and part of doing that is trying to be more like him.  It is in serving others, not in being greedy or teaching our children to be greedy.  Of course I want to make Christmas a special time for my daughter.  But in it all, I want her to understand.  Through her excitement in opening her presents on Christmas morning, I want her to learn to find even more joy in giving to others.  That’s my Christmas wish.